INACTIVITY IS THE #1 RISK FACTOR FOR SEVERE COVID-19.

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INACTIVITY IS THE 1 RISK FACTOR FOR SEVERE
COVID-19.
http//www.virtualphysicaltherapists.com/
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Being physically active has been shown to improve
health and longevity. Exercise increases muscle
and bone strength, improves your immune system,
lungs, and heart, and prevents many cancers and
chronic illnesses. Not surprisingly, physical
activity is now linked to COVID-19 outcomes and
inactivity is the 1 Risk Factor for Severe
COVID-19. Physical inactivity is more of a risk
factor for severe COVID-19 than heart disease,
cancer, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and
obesity. A study of 48,440 COVID-19
patients from Kaiser Permanente in southern
California found that physical activity was a
critical risk factor for severe COVID-19
outcomes. Kaiser Permanente tracked patients
diagnosed with COVID-19 who had also reported
their physical activity thrice during outpatient
visits over the prior two years. Those who were
inactive had a significantly higher risk of
hospitalization, ICU admission, and death. Being
consistently inactive was a stronger risk factor
for severe COVID-19 outcomes than any of the
underlying medical conditions or risk factors
identified by the CDC, except for age and a
history of organ transplant. Even being active
for only 10 minutes per week had some protection
against severe illness or death from COVID.
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The study showed that those who reported being
physically inactive before diagnosis were 2.49
times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those
who regularly met the U.S. physical activity
guidelines of 150 minutes per week.  Engaging in
regular P.A. may be individuals most important
action to prevent severe COVID-19 and its
complications, including death. Patients with
COVID-19 who were consistently inactive during
the two years preceding the pandemic were more
likely to be hospitalized, admitted to the
intensive care unit, and die than patients who
consistently met physical activity guidelines.
Other than advanced age and a history of organ
transplant, physical inactivity was the strongest
risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Meeting U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines was
associated with substantial benefits. Still, even
those doing some physical activity had lower
risks for severe COVID-19 outcomes, including
death, than those who were consistently inactive.
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Mechanisms and reasons why regular physical
activity plays a critical role in mitigating the
severity of the COVID-19 pandemic It is well
known that immune function improves with regular
physical activity. Exercise benefits
cardiovascular health increases lung capacity and
muscle strength, and also improves mental health.
Those who are regularly active have a lower
incidence, intensity of symptoms, and death from
various viral infections. Regular activity
reduces the risk of systemic inflammation, which
is the main contributor to lung damage caused by
COVID-19.  The U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines
call for adults to engage in at least 150
min/week of moderate to vigorous physical
activity. Despite the health benefits of regular
physical activity and the consequences of a
sedentary lifestyle, 36 percent of adults engage
in NO leisure-time physical activity at all.
Globally, only 23 percent of adults and 80
percent of adolescents are insufficiently active.
According to the U.S. 2016 National Health
Interview Survey, 48 percent of adults are NOT
meeting the Physical Activity Guidelines for
aerobic activity, and 78 percent of adults are
NOT meeting aerobic and strength training
guidelines. 
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U.S. adolescents and adults spend almost eight
hours a day in sedentary behaviors.  Devastating
Effects of Inactivity During the pandemic,
every country advised to stay at home and avoid
contact with individuals outside of ones
household. Lockdowns were put in place, as were
restricted access to gyms, parks, playgrounds,
beaches, swimming pools, and other venues where
people can be active. These restrictions cause
isolation and reduced public access to physical
activity opportunities. Lack of physical activity
causes insulin resistance (a warning sign for the
development of type 2 diabetes), reduced muscle
mass, increased body fat, weight gain, reduced
cardiovascular and issues with inactivity such as
poor sleep quality, poor mental health, cognitive
sluggishness and increased risk of chronic
illness. The health effects of inactivity start
piling up within days. Physical inactivity and
sedentary behavior posed a significant economic
burden worldwide before COVID-19. In 2013 the
global economic cost of physical inactivity was
estimated at around 54 billion. Inactivity also
resulted in 13.7 billion in productivity losses
due to physical-inactivity-related
deaths. Everyone is aware of the loss of
strength from inactivity, but the devastating
health effects are much more damaging and
expensive.
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Two weeks of inactivity (similar to being
housebound during this pandemic) results in
lowered muscle protein synthesis rates and the
onset of insulin resistance. For those over 65,
the adverse effects are much more significant.
During the same period of inactivity, those over
age 65 lose four percent of their leg muscle and
one-third of their insulin sensitivity. Younger
adults can recover when they return to daily
walking, but those over 65 have a more
challenging time restoring muscle and glycemic
control when they return to their daily routines
they do not regain their lost muscle.
Effectively, older individuals dont have the
same ability to bounce back as younger people
do.  Regaining muscle requires deliberate effort
if you dont use it, you lose it. The most
effective way to maintain muscle is to
perform resistance exercises or strength
training. And it doesnt have to be complicated.
If you dont have access to a gym to use free
weights, there are many valuable alternatives you
can easily do at home. Body-weight exercises such
as push-ups, squats, sit to stand with no hands,
lunges, and elastic bands are excellent for
strength training and walking, stair-climbing,
and even dancing are the best for aerobic
conditioning.
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The good news is that doing exercise does not
have to be complicated. You can simply go for a
long walk, and if it is raining, find a free
exercise routine on YouTube. The most important
thing is consistency. You should devote 30
minutes a day to exercise. Remember the important
benefits of exercise -it will help you to get
stronger and prevent muscle loss. The World
Health Organization (WHO) classified physical
inactivity as the fourth leading risk factor
accounting for 6 of global mortality, following
hypertension (13), smoking (9), and diabetes
(6). And now inactivity is the 1 Risk Factor
for Severe COVID-19! Exercise is the BEST
Medicine. The documented benefits of physical
activity have been neglected for the first year
of the pandemic, missing an opportunity to reduce
suffering and death. People are still getting
sick and dying of COVID-19, so it is not too late
to take action to help people be more active.
 Reducing inactivity the 1 Risk Factor for
Severe COVID-19 is easy more emphasis must be
placed on the importance of regular exercise
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